5 free agency destinations for Al Horford
By John Buhler
Central. Detroit Pistons. 3. player. 64. . East
The Detroit Pistons have been one of the teams on the shortlist to land Horford in free agency. Believe or not, there are several reasons that Horford could consider leaving the Hawks, the team with the longest active playoffs streak in the East, for the Pistons, a team that hasn’t made the Eastern Conference Playoffs in over six years.
Horford grew up in Michigan as the son of former NBA player Tito Horford, who spent most of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1980s. After the conundrum that was the clogged frontcourt of Josh Smith, Greg Monroe, and Andre Drummond of last season, head coach/general manager Stan Van Gundy has parted ways with both Smith and Monroe in hopes to improve the Pistons’ spacing in signing a power forward that has great shooting range.
In 2015-16, Horford has showcased a strong three-point shot to his already impressive offensive arsenal. He has the dynamic lateral quickness and the high basketball intelligence to play alongside a traditional NBA center in the All-Star Drummond.
Van Gundy, both with the Orlando Magic and now with Detroit, has shown a proclivity to overpaying players in order to get them to commit to his franchise. He did it with Rashard Lewis with the Magic and he paid point guard Reggie Jackson handsomely with an extension after a trade with the Thunder.
Not that Horford isn’t worth every penny of a max contract, but if any organization outside of Atlanta is going to break the bank on the Hawks’ center, it is Pistons because of Van Gundy’s willingness to pay a great deal for the player he wants. Horford is a player the Van Gundy knows would make the Pistons great again in the frontcourt at the four. It wouldn’t be shocking if Horford does end up signing with Detroit this summer after nine great seasons in Atlanta.
Next: 2. Boston Celtics